


cold turkey

by ishimooru



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, POV Second Person, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-03 23:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4118476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishimooru/pseuds/ishimooru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takeda convinces his boyfriend to quit smoking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	cold turkey

**Author's Note:**

> im not sure when this takes place. all that matters is right now the team is training for something and ukai's been coaching them for a while.

He was lying in bed next to you, head on your chest and naked under your sheets. It was the first night he stayed over at your place. It was the first time you two had sex. He was worried he was rushing things, but the progression of your relationship felt right to you. It had been a little over two weeks since you started officially dating. You wondered how long Ittetsu waited in other relationships.

You were looking up at the ceiling. A ceiling fan turned lazily above you. Your fingers were woven into his hair. You were playing with his very soft and very short hair when he said it.

“I want you to quit smoking.” It seemed out of the blue. “I’ll even help you do it.”

“Why?” You remove your hand from his hair and he sits up, looking down at you. You propped yourself up on your elbows. “What brought this on, huh?”

“How often do you smoke?” That definitely wasn’t an answer to your question.

“I dunno. A lot,” you answer. It was the most accurate estimate you could make. You smoked after practice, during breaks, during work, after sex… which admittedly hadn’t happened in quite a while.

“I-I’m worried about your health.” Your chest tightened when he said that. “I’m worried you might get sick.”

“Don’t stress over it, okay?” You sat up, resting your hand on the small of his back. “I’m healthy. I can breathe just fine.”

“It’s not just that. I… I hate the taste of smokers!” He didn’t make eye contact with you when he confessed this. You wanted to tell him not to swallow next time but you had the common sense to hold it in. You could imagine how he’d respond to a vulgar statement like that. “I hate the smell, too. It makes me nauseous. Maybe I’m just sensitive to the scent but I can’t stand it.”

“I won’t smoke around you anymore. I’ll buy more febreeze, okay? I don’t want to make you sick,” you explained.

“Have you tried to quit before?”

“Yeah… I did about a year ago.”

“How did that go?” Your stomach turned at the memory of that time.

“It was a hassle. Too much work.”

“Too much work for you? You’re the most hardworking and diligent person I’ve ever met, Keishin!” You froze and attempted to stammer out a response only to be interrupted. “You can’t underestimate yourself! You work so hard for your family and your work and the team! You manage to set aside time for me and that’s… a wonderful thing. You’re such a strong person with unbelievable resolve!”

You were flushed. He was quickly becoming as embarrassed as you were.

“W-Was that too much? So-” His skin was hot against your hand. He was so goddamn adorable.

“No. It wasn’t. I’m just…” you trailed off. You had no idea how to follow something like that.You decided to just be honest. “I’ve been through this before. My ex tried to get me to quit. I tried to do it for him but I was so pissed off all the time. I said a lot of shit I shouldn’t have. We broke up because of it. I got over him but I… I don’t want to go through that with you. I don’t want us to end like that. I dunno if it’s too early to say stuff like this but I don’t want to even imagine us ending. At all. And I don’t wanna hurt you like I did to him. I, uh, love you or something like that.”

You fidgeted with the edge of the sheet for a moment. You’d turned into such a sappy idiot. You were a second away from telling him to forget you said anything before he grabbed your face, kissing you gently. You could feel him smiling against your lips. You couldn’t help smiling, too. You were almost disappointed when he pulled away, but you could see the biggest grin on his face.

“Do you think I’d give up that easy?” He paused to kiss you on the cheek. “And on you, of all people! I worked too hard to get you in my life and I would never let nicotine withdrawal take you away from me.”

“You're relentless.”

“It’s my only charm,” he said as he tucked his forehead into the crook of your neck. You wouldn’t say that was his only charm. You threw your arm around his shoulders and squeezed them.

“I should’ve known better than to doubt you,” you chuckled. “Do your worst, sensei.”

 

 

 

***

You stopped that night. It didn’t take long to hit you just how much you needed them. You’re lucky you spend so much time with Ittetsu. He was good at taking your mind off of cigarettes. He’d ask you something about volleyball and you two could talk about that for ages. It was a third of your life now.

He’ll squeeze your hand or kiss your cheek out of nowhere. You always ask what that was for and he tells you how long it’s been since you smoked. You wanna get mad at him for reminding you of cigarettes but he’s always so proud and you can’t bring yourself to stay angry.

He even helps you through the headaches. He massages your scalp and neck. He cheers you up when your mood plummets. He kisses you and assures you that you’re a good person. That you are handsome. That he's happy with you. That he loves you.

You’re a lucky guy.

***

Almost two weeks later, not even he can keep you from blowing up at the team. You worked them a little too hard during practice. You got too frustrated at them. They just kept whispering and mumbling about you while cleaning up.

_What’s his problem?_

_He was pretty short with Take-chan, too._

_Are they having a fight?_

_He really shouldn’t take it out on us just ‘cause he’s pissed off at his boyfriend._

They were all just talking about you like you couldn’t hear them. You told them all to mind their own goddamn business and stormed out of the gym.

There you were, leaning against the building and clenching a lighter in your fist. You flicked it on, staring down at the tiny flame, then release. It cooled and then you turned it back on. Repeating the process as you reached into your pocket and felt a nearly empty pack of cigarettes. You listened to Ittetsu apologize for your behavior. He explained that you’re trying to quit smoking and asked that the team is patient with him during this time. You heard little murmurs of agreement. The door opened beside you.

“I hope you weren’t planning on lighting anything out here,” Ittetsu said, facing you.

“These kids just get on my fucking nerves.” You put the lighter in your pocket and crossed your arms. “I don’t think I can keep this shit up.”

“What? Do you mean coaching?”

“Of course not. I’m in too deep for that. I mean, I can’t coach and not smoke. I really can’t smoke and not coach. I’m fucked either way.”

“I can’t accept that.” You raised an eyebrow at him and stuck your hands in your pockets. The lighter was warm against your hand. “How long has it been since your last one?”

“Eleven days.” You knew how long it had been down to the hour, but you didn't tell him.

“That’s so great, Keishin. Don’t you understand that? You’re so strong and I’m so proud of you for making it this far. I believe that you can keep this up. I believe in you, Keishin.” He squeezed your arm. His touch was electric.

“Fine. You’re right.” He smiled at you. It was dark but you could make out the creases in his face when he smiles like that. He wrapped his arms around your waist. You pulled your hands out of your pocket and the pack of cigarettes came with them. It fell to the ground and you hoped he wouldn’t notice. You winced as he pulled away from you. He crouched and picked it up.

“What were you doing with these?” He peered into the box. There were only two left. He didn’t look you in the eye. “You told me it’s been eleven days, Keishin.”

“Look. Maybe I screwed up. You don’t expect that from me?” Why did you keep burying yourself deeper? What’s wrong with you?

“You lied to me, Keishin! That’s the problem.” The way he said your name was like a stab in your side. He was raising his voice. “If you had one, that’s okay. Everyone screws up. Just be honest with me.”

But you’re in too deep now and you’ve got to make an ass of yourself.

“Why are you so obsessed with this anyway, huh?”

“We’ve been through this. I told you why up front.”

“Oh yeah? Well, it feels like you’re just trying to trap me. You break me of some nasty habit and then what? I owe you something? You afraid I’ll just dump your pansy ass unless you give me a reason not to?” You wanted to stop talking. You wanted to stop so bad. You were pissing yourself off with the noise of your voice. What the hell were you even saying?

“Do you really think I’d do that? Do you think that lowly of me, Keishin?” Another stab.

“This is the shit you signed up for.”

He had nothing to say to that. Your head was pounding. You want to take it all back.

“I wasn’t lying to you,” you admitted. Your voice was even and low. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I found the pack in an old jacket. I brought it with me today because… I don’t know. They’re nice to have around. I wasn’t even going to smoke them. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

He finally looked up at you.

“I should’ve said that sooner. I don’t know why I didn’t. I don’t know why I said all of that instead. I’m out of my mind. I didn’t mean any of it. I know that you mean what you say. You’re honest. I like that about you.”

“Th-thank you.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been like this. I put this strain on you.”

“Don’t apologize for that. I know it’s not on purpose, okay? I want to do this. I just wasn’t expecting that. I know what I’m dealing with now.” He put his hand on your cheek. “I’ll be more patient with you. I won’t jump to conclusions. That’s what bothered you, right? That I just assumed you had lied to me?” That sounded about right to you. You have no clue how he picked up on that so fast.

But you didn’t want him to strive to be more patient with you. He was already doing so much. You didn’t say any of that. You knew he’d shut it all down. He’s too good for you.

“I love you, Ittetsu,” you said, taking his hands in yours.

“I love you, too, Keishin.”

You went home and Ittetsu soon followed. He threw out all of your lighters. You wanted to protest but you were struck by a wave of a fatigue. He crawled into bed with you when he was done.

***

A year later, he would move in with you. He spent most of his nights at your place leading up to the move-in. You wake up to the sound of him in the kitchen most mornings. He gets up early to grade papers and to have the same general sleep schedule as you. He kisses you on your way out and occasionally you pinch his ass just to keep him on his toes.

You celebrate two anniversaries with him. You take him out to a nice dinner to remember when you first started dating. You recount the night you blurted out everything you felt. Your face was on fire. He took your face in his hands and kissed you. He told you that he felt the same and kissed you again.

At dinner, you both chuckle when he confesses that he was planning to write a love letter and slip it into your bag until that night. You wish you could have read it. You’d probably cry.

Two weeks later, you stay in and thank him for helping you quit. You make him tea and set it down in front of him. He grades another stack of papers. You sit behind him, a leg on each side of him. He leans into you.

“Has it really been a year?” You ask. He hums for a moment before checking the date on his phone.

“Exactly a year.” You rest your chin on his shoulder and wrap your arms around his waist. He’s definitely not finished grading. You’re fine with that. You need a few moments to gather your thoughts. You need to plan out exactly how to thank him. He’s always spouting so many eloquent and beautiful things. You can’t help wanting to one-up him. He always leaves you stunned. You want to make him feel that way.

You want to tell him how grateful you are for his help and for his patience. You want to thank him for wedging himself into your life in the first place. You don’t know where you’d be right now if not for him. That’s not something you want to consider. You were okay before you met him. You had a schedule. You followed it. You’d work and take care of your family and you’d have a drink with your friends. You were okay with good days and bad days. You were content.

Then he stuck his foot in the door. Then you fell for him fast. Then your life was phenomenal.

You want to say all of that but you’re embarrassed. You live with the man. You’re dating him. You’ve made yourself more vulnerable to him than anyone you can think of. But you can’t say any of it.

So you squeeze him a little tighter when he sets down his empty cup. He’s warm and he smells like the tea he just finished.

“I love you,” you remind him, “Ittetsu, you’ve done a lot for me. Thank you.”

It’s not as elaborate as you hoped it would be, but you feel him stiffen when you say it. He stumbles over a few words before he can manage a response.

“I love you, too,” he says and he untangles himself from your arms. He takes a hand in each of his. His hands a little smaller than yours and your palms are pretty sweaty. He doesn’t seem to mind. “You don’t have to thank me, Keishin. You did most of the work yourself.”

“I want to. I want to thank you.” He chuckles and lets you have this one. Just this once.

**Author's Note:**

> i can only write good fics in second person because idk in my heart i'm permanently a homestuck. anyway this is my first fic in a year and im pretty new to this website so be gentle w/me haha.  
> my main concerns are about the accuracy of the characterization and how healthy the relationship is being portrayed. i really didnt want it to seem like takeda suddenly shows up and solves all of ukai's problems b/c thats not very realistic.  
> (i originally posted this on my writing blog [ishimondoh](http://ishimondoh.tumblr.com/post/121594202091/i-havent-writen-fanfiction-in-over-a-year-but-im))


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